Believing it to be true does not make it true, in and of itself. I believe in the things I've seen, because I have seen them for myself. That's a personal and subjective thing, though. I cannot expect others to believe them outright, because they have not experienced them. To be put it another way, I'm just not an absolutist when it comes to my beliefs. I'm a relativist. I know that beliefs are not objective; they're opinions. I don't think others are wrong just for not holding the same opinion as me. That would be really arrogant and juvenile.
Aqueous Id, Let's not forget the other uses of the word: Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! Do they? You oughta send them over here. Not sure how this addresses my point. But eh! I'm aware that there are Christians who are atheistic, yes, and have no trouble following darwinism. It's a good thing ''science literism'' isn't science itself, or the art of doing science. Intelligence never left the building, 'ignorance' is the guy always trying take over the world and never realising that he can't. no matter how much money, influence, or air time he hoggs, because the truth always prevails Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! jan.
I grew up as an atheist in an atheist home with little exposure to religion. I investigated religions in my teens and found no value in them. Then I experienced life. I saw the horrors of modern culture. I saw how despicable modern people are. I saw my good friends go insane or kill themselves. I saw my not so good friends stab me in the back. So I looked for an alternative. I studied history and science to try to understand what went wrong with humanity. I saw that religion was a civilizing influence in history, so I began researching religion. I visited churches, synagogues, and a mosque. And I read religious books. The one book that stands far above anything that I have ever read is the Old Testament. This is the only book that I completely relate too. Here is Moses trying to civilize a bunch of worthless slaves, who resemble modern people, by imposing a civilizing religion on them. And miraculously, this succeeds enough to create a successful nation. Then the nation goes into decline and there are the prophets condemning all the immorality that is just like in modern times. I relate to the prophets and I am in awe of Moses. These are the only people I have ever read about that share my view on life. I don't believe in a supernatural god, but I do believe in God who I interpret as the forces of nature that support morality and destroy immoral cultures. This God is personified in the Bible so that people can better relate to Him. Whenever I am depressed, I turn to the Bible to read the writings of my only true friends, the prophets of the Bible. The Bible is my greatest consolation.
Thank you Franklin , Your post is a fresh air to this environment . I agree with you religion gives or induces self control if the individuo chooses to practice .
